The flag of the state of Michigan depicts the state's coat of arms on a dark blue field, as set forth by Michigan state law.[1] (The Governor has a variant of the flag with a white instead of blue field.[1])

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The state coat of arms depicts a light blue shield, upon which the sun rises over a lake and peninsula, and a man with a raised hand representing peace and holding a long gun representing the fight for state and nation as a frontier state.[2]

As supporters, the elk and moose are derived from the Hudson's Bay Company coat of arms, and depict great animals of Michigan, the bald eagle represents the United States which formed the state of Michigan from the Northwest Territory.[3]

The present flag, adopted in 1911, is the third state flag, the first flag featured a portrait of Michigan's first governor, Stevens T. Mason, on one side and the state coat of arms and "a soldier and a lady" on the other side. The first flag is completely lost, and no images of it exist, as far as anyone knows, the second flag, adopted in 1865, displayed the state coat of arms on one side and the United States coat of arms on the other.[3]

In November 2016, a bill was introduced in the Michigan state legislature by Michigan State Senator Steven Bieda that would change the current state flag. If the bill is passed, the current state flag will be discontinued in January 2019 and replaced with a new design.[4][5]

1.
Glossary of vexillology
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Flag terminology is the nomenclature, or system of terms, used in vexillology, the study of flags, to describe precisely the parts, patterns, and other attributes of flags and their display. Badge A coat of arms or simple heraldic symbol, canton Any quarter of a flag, but commonly means the upper hoist quarter, such as the field of stars in the flag of the United States or the Union Jack in the Australian Flag. Charge A figure or symbol appearing in the field of a flag, emblem A device often used as a charge on a flag. It may be heraldic in origin or modern, for example the maple leaf on the Canadian Flag, field The background of a flag, the color behind the charges. Fimbriation A narrow edging or border, often in white or gold, for example the white and gold lines of the South African Flag. Fly The half or edge of a flag farthest away from the flagpole and this term also sometimes refers to the horizontal length of a flag. Hoist The half or edge of a flag nearest to the flagpole and this term also sometimes refers to the vertical width of a flag. Length The span of a flag along the side at right angles to the flagpole, width The span of a flag down the side parallel to the flagpole. Flags often inherit traits seen in traditional European heraldry designs and as a result patterns often share names, banderole or bannerol A small flag or streamer carried on the lance of a knight, or a long narrow flag flying from the mast-head of a ship. Banner Generically, a synonym for a flag of any kind, in heraldry, a flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms, but usually in a square or rectangular shape, also known as a banner of arms. Burgee A distinguishing flag of a recreational boating organisation, Civil ensign, merchant flag or merchant ensign A version of the national flag flown by civil ships to denote nationality. Civil flag A version of the flag flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. Colour or color The flag of a military unit, courtesy flag or courtesy ensign A flag flown by a visiting ship in foreign waters as a token of respect. Ensign The flag of a ship or military unit, may also be used generically as a synonym for a flag of any kind. Fanion A small flag used by the French military, gonfalon, gonfanon or gonfalone A type of heraldic flag suspended from a crossbar. Guidon A small flag borne by a military unit, in Scots heraldry, a smaller version of the Standard. Pennon or pennant A flag larger at the hoist than at the fly, pipe banner A decorative flag for the Scottish Highland bagpipes. Prayer flag A type of flag found strung along mountain ridges and peaks in the Himalayas, rank flag or distinguishing flag The flag flown by a superior naval officer on his flagship or headquarters

2.
Civil flag
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A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on nongovernmental installations or craft. The use of flags was more common in the past to denote buildings or ships not manned by the military. In some countries, the flag is the same as the war flag or state flag but without the coat of arms, such as in the case of Spain. In others, it is an alteration of the war flag, in Scandinavia, state and war flags can be double and triple-tailed variants of the Nordic Cross flag. Many countries, particularly those with a British heritage, still have distinctive civil flags for use at sea, many based on the Red Ensign

3.
State flag
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There are two separate meanings for the term of state flag in vexillology, the flag of the government of a sovereign state and the flag of an individual subnational state. A state flag is a variant of a national flag specifically designated and restricted by law or custom to use by a government or its agencies. For this reason they are referred to as government flags. Scandinavian countries also use swallowtailed state flags, to differentiate them from civil flags. In addition, some countries have state ensigns, separate flags for use by government ships such as guard vessels. For example, government ships in the United Kingdom fly the blue ensign, state flags should not be confused with the national flag as used by military organisations, these are referred to as war flags and naval ensigns. To avoid confusion with the first meaning of the term, however, such a flag would be more referred to as the flag of the state of X. For this usage, see also, Flags of the Australian states and territories Flags of Brazilian states Flags of the U. S. states Flags of German states Znamierowski, the world encyclopedia of flags, The definitive guide to international flags, banners, standards and ensigns

4.
Seal of Michigan
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The Great Seal of the State of Michigan depicts the coat of arms of the U. S. state of Michigan on a light blue field. On the dark blue shield the sun rises over a lake and peninsula, a man holding a gun with a raised hand represents peace. The elk and moose are symbols of Michigan, while the eagle represents the United States. The design features three Latin mottos and it was adopted in 1835 and said to have been suggested by the tribute to architect Christopher Wren at Saint Pauls Cathedral in London, which reads Si monumentum requiris, circumspice. The seal was adopted on June 22,1835, public Act 19 of 1963 states that The great seal shall be comprised of the coat of arms of the state around which shall appear the words great seal of the state of Michigan, A. D. MDCCCXXXV. Legally distinct from, but adopted simultaneously alongside the Great Seal in 1835, is the Coat of arms of Michigan, the current rendition of the Coat of Arms was adopted by the Legislature in 1911. It is identical to the Great Seal of Michigan with the legend or circle, The Great Seal of the State of Michigan, A. D. MDCCCXXXV, omitted. Unlike the Great Seal, the Coat of Arms may be printed on documents, stationery, or ornaments with no design or words, however, a person who improperly exhibits and displays the Coat of Arms is guilty of a misdemeanor. States Flag of Michigan List of Michigan state symbols Seals of the U. S. states Blazon of the coat of arms Michigan Secretary of State, History of the Great Seal

5.
Governor of Michigan
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The Governor of Michigan is the chief executive of the U. S. state of Michigan. He is not eligible for a term under Michigans term limits. Governors of Michigan, as well as their lieutenant governors, must be United States citizens who have resided in Michigan for the four years preceding election, from statehood until the election of 1966, governors were elected to two-year terms. Elections are held in November and the governor assumes office the following January, from statehood until 1851, elections were held in odd-numbered years. A new state constitution was drafted in 1850 and took effect in 1851, as part of the process bringing the constitution into effect, there was a single one-year term of governor in 1851. Thereafter elections were held on even years, the constitution adopted in 1963 changed the governors term to four years, starting in 1967. Since then, gubernatorial elections have been offset by two years from U. S, gubernatorial elections are held concurrently with state Senate elections. The winner of the election takes office at noon on January 1 of the year following the election. In 1992, an amendment to the Michigan constitution imposed a term limit of two four-year terms for the office of governor. Prior to this, they were not limited as to how many terms they could serve, John Engler, Engler was reelected in 1994 and 1998 before being term limited in 2002. He appoints the members of the boards of 10 of the states 13 public universities. Forty-eight people have been governor of the state, prior to statehood, there were five governors of the Michigan Territory. Stevens T. Mason, Michigans first governor, also served as a territorial governor and he was elected governor at age 23 as a member of the Democratic Party in 1835 and served until 1840. Mason was the youngest state governor in United States history, jennifer Granholm became the first female Governor of Michigan on January 1,2003, when she succeeded John Engler, she served for 8 years, until January 1,2011. Former Governor George Romney was born in Mexico, lieutenant Governor of Michigan List of Governors of Michigan

6.
Coat of arms
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A coat of arms is an heraldic visual design on an escutcheon, surcoat, or tabard. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the heraldic achievement which in its whole consists of shield, supporters, crest. A coat of arms is traditionally unique to a person, family, state. The ancient Romans used similar insignia on their shields, but these identified military units rather than individuals, the first evidence of medieval coats of arms has been attributed to the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry in which some of the combatants carry shields painted with crosses. However, that heraldic interpretation remains controversial, coats of arms came into general use by feudal lords and knights in battle in the 12th century. By the 13th century, arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a flag or emblem for families in the social classes of Europe. Exactly who had a right to use arms, by law or social convention, in the German-speaking regions both the aristocracy and burghers used arms, while in most of the rest of Europe they were limited to the aristocracy. The use of spread to the clergy, to towns as civic identifiers. Flags developed from coats of arms, and the arts of vexillology, the coats of arms granted to commercial companies are a major source of the modern logo. Despite no widespread regulation, heraldry has remained consistent across Europe, some nations, like England and Scotland, still maintain the same heraldic authorities which have traditionally granted and regulated arms for centuries and continue to do so in the present day. In England, for example, the granting of arms is and has controlled by the College of Arms. Unlike seals and other emblems, heraldic achievements have a formal description called a blazon. Many societies exist that also aid in the design and registration of personal arms, in the heraldic traditions of England and Scotland, an individual, rather than a family, had a coat of arms. In those traditions coats of arms are legal property transmitted from father to son, wives, undifferenced arms are used only by one person at any given time. Other descendants of the bearer could bear the ancestral arms only with some difference. One such charge is the label, which in British usage is now always the mark of an apparent or an heir presumptive. Because of their importance in identification, particularly in seals on legal documents and this has been carried out by heralds and the study of coats of arms is therefore called heraldry. In time, the use of arms spread from military entities to educational institutes, the author Helen Stuart argues that some coats of arms were a form of corporate logo

7.
Michigan
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Michigan /ˈmɪʃᵻɡən/ is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit, Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is noted to be shaped like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, the two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, as a result, it is one of the leading U. S. states for recreational boating. Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds, a person in the state is never more than six miles from a natural water source or more than 85 miles from a Great Lakes shoreline. What is now the state of Michigan was first settled by Native American tribes before being colonized by French explorers in the 17th century, the area was organized as part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. Eventually, in 1805, the Michigan Territory was formed, which lasted until it was admitted into the Union on January 26,1837, the state of Michigan soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region and a popular immigrant destination. Though Michigan has come to develop an economy, it is widely known as the center of the U. S. automotive industry. When the first European explorers arrived, the most populous tribes were Algonquian peoples, which include the Anishinaabe groups of Ojibwe, Odaawaa/Odawa, the three nations co-existed peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the Council of Three Fires. The Ojibwe, whose numbers are estimated to have been between 25,000 and 35,000, were the largest, French voyageurs and coureurs des bois explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what became Michigan were those of Étienne Brûlés expedition in 1622, the first permanent European settlement was founded in 1668 on the site where Père Jacques Marquette established Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan as a base for Catholic missions, missionaries in 1671–75 founded outlying stations at Saint Ignace and Marquette. Jesuit missionaries were received by the areas Indian populations, with relatively few difficulties or hostilities. In 1679, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle built Fort Miami at present-day St. Joseph, in 1691, the French established a trading post and Fort St. Joseph along the St. Joseph River at the present day city of Niles. The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one arpent, cadillacs wife, Marie Thérèse Guyon, soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of the first European women to settle in the Michigan wilderness. The town quickly became a major fur-trading and shipping post, the Église de Saint-Anne was founded the same year

8.
Hudson's Bay Company
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The Hudsons Bay Company, commonly referred to as The Bay, is a Canadian retail business group. HBCs head office is in the Simpson Tower in Toronto, Ontario, the company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HBC. It was once the worlds largest landowner, with the area of the Hudson Bay watershed, known as Ruperts Land, having 15% of North American acreage. From its long-time headquarters at York Factory on Hudson Bay, the company controlled the fur trade throughout much of the English, undertaking early exploration, its traders and trappers forged relationships with many groups of aboriginal peoples. Its network of trading posts formed the nucleus for later official authority in areas of Western Canada. By the mid-19th century, the company evolved into a business selling everything from furs to fine homeware. They quickly introduced a new type of client to the HBC – one that shopped for pleasure and not with skins, in July 2008, HBC was acquired by NRDC Equity Partners, which also owns the upmarket American department store Lord & Taylor. From 2008 to 2012, the HBC was run through a company of NRDC, Hudsons Bay Trading Company. Since 2012, the HBC directly oversees its Canadian subsidiaries Hudsons Bay and Home Outfitters, on 29 July 2013, the HBC announced its takeover of Saks, Inc. operator of the Saks Fifth Avenue brand. The merger was completed on 3 November 2013, in September 2015, HBC acquired the German department store chain Galeria Kaufhof and its Belgian subsidiary from Metro Group for $3.2 billion U. S. In May 2016, HBC announced it would expand to the Netherlands by taking over up to 20 former Vroom & Dreesmann sites by 2017, v&D was an historic Dutch department store chain that went bankrupt and shut down in early 2016. HBC said the expansion would cost CAD $340 million and create 2,500 jobs in the stores, the Dutch stores would operate under the Hudsons Bay and Saks Off Fifth brands. In January 2016, HBC announced it would also expand deeper in the space with its acquisition of online flash sales site. In the 17th century the French had a de facto monopoly on the Canadian fur trade with their colony of New France. Assuming this was Hudson Bay, they sought French backing for a plan to set up a trading post on the Bay, despite this refusal, in 1659 Radisson and Groseilliers set out for the upper Great Lakes basin. A year later returned with premium furs, evidence of the potential of the Hudson Bay region. Subsequently, they were arrested for trading without a licence and fined, determined to establish trade in the Hudson Bay, Radisson and Groseilliers approached a group of businessmen in Boston, Massachusetts to help finance their explorations. The Bostonians agreed on the plans merits but their speculative voyage in 1663 failed when their ship ran into pack ice in Hudson Strait, boston-based English commissioner Colonel George Cartwright learned of the expedition and brought the two to England to raise financing

9.
Northwest Territory
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In the 18th century, Great Britain and the France disputed for control of this region. The French had claimed it in the 17th century as part of New France and this activity stimulated the development of the eastern parts of the eventual National Road by private investors. Most of the territory and its successors was settled by emigrants passing through the Cumberland Narrows, the Congress of the Confederation enacted the Northwest Ordinance in 1787 to provide for the administration of the territories and set rules for admission of jurisdictions as states. On August 7,1789, the new U. S. Congress affirmed the Ordinance with slight modifications under the Constitution, the territory included all the land of the United States west of Pennsylvania and northwest of the Ohio River. It covered all of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. The area covered more than 260,000 square miles, European exploration of the region began with French-Canadian voyageurs in the 17th century, followed by French missionaries and French fur traders. French-Canadian explorer Jean Nicolet was the first recorded European entrant into the region, landing in 1634 at the current site of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The French exercised control from widely separate posts in the region, France ceded the territory to the Kingdom of Great Britain as part of the Indian Reserve in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, after being defeated in the French and Indian War. A new colony, named Charlotina, was proposed for the southern Great Lakes region, however, facing armed opposition by Native Americans, the British issued the Proclamation of 1763, which prohibited white colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. This action angered American colonists interested in expansion, as well as those who had settled in the area. In 1774, by the Quebec Act, Britain annexed the region to the Province of Quebec in order to provide a civil government, the prohibition of settlement west of the Appalachians remained, contributing to the American Revolution. In February 1779, George Rogers Clark of the Virginia Militia captured Kaskaskia, the Old Northwest Territory included all the then-owned land of the United States west of Pennsylvania, east of the Mississippi River, and northwest of the Ohio River. It covered all of the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. The area covered more than 260,000 square miles and was a significant addition to the United States, several states then had competing claims on the territory. As a concession in order to obtain ratification, these states ceded their claims on the territory to the government, New York in 1780, Virginia in 1784, Massachusetts. So the majority of the territory became public land owned by the U. S. government, Virginia and Connecticut reserved the land of two areas to use as compensation to military veterans, The Virginia Military District and the Connecticut Western Reserve. In this way, the United States included territory and people outside any of the states, Thomas Jeffersons Land Ordinance of 1784 was the first organization of the territory by the United States. Some older French communities property claims based on systems of long

10.
Latin
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Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. The Latin alphabet is derived from the Etruscan and Greek alphabets, Latin was originally spoken in Latium, in the Italian Peninsula. Through the power of the Roman Republic, it became the dominant language, Vulgar Latin developed into the Romance languages, such as Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, and Romanian. Latin, Italian and French have contributed many words to the English language, Latin and Ancient Greek roots are used in theology, biology, and medicine. By the late Roman Republic, Old Latin had been standardised into Classical Latin, Vulgar Latin was the colloquial form spoken during the same time and attested in inscriptions and the works of comic playwrights like Plautus and Terence. Late Latin is the language from the 3rd century. Later, Early Modern Latin and Modern Latin evolved, Latin was used as the language of international communication, scholarship, and science until well into the 18th century, when it began to be supplanted by vernaculars. Ecclesiastical Latin remains the language of the Holy See and the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. Today, many students, scholars and members of the Catholic clergy speak Latin fluently and it is taught in primary, secondary and postsecondary educational institutions around the world. The language has been passed down through various forms, some inscriptions have been published in an internationally agreed, monumental, multivolume series, the Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum. Authors and publishers vary, but the format is about the same, volumes detailing inscriptions with a critical apparatus stating the provenance, the reading and interpretation of these inscriptions is the subject matter of the field of epigraphy. The works of several hundred ancient authors who wrote in Latin have survived in whole or in part and they are in part the subject matter of the field of classics. The Cat in the Hat, and a book of fairy tales, additional resources include phrasebooks and resources for rendering everyday phrases and concepts into Latin, such as Meissners Latin Phrasebook. The Latin influence in English has been significant at all stages of its insular development. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, English writers cobbled together huge numbers of new words from Latin and Greek words, dubbed inkhorn terms, as if they had spilled from a pot of ink. Many of these words were used once by the author and then forgotten, many of the most common polysyllabic English words are of Latin origin through the medium of Old French. Romance words make respectively 59%, 20% and 14% of English, German and those figures can rise dramatically when only non-compound and non-derived words are included. Accordingly, Romance words make roughly 35% of the vocabulary of Dutch, Roman engineering had the same effect on scientific terminology as a whole

11.
E pluribus unum
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Never codified by law, E Pluribus Unum was considered a de facto motto of the United States until 1956 when the United States Congress passed an act, adopting In God We Trust as the official motto. The 13-letter motto was suggested in 1776 by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere to the responsible for developing the seal. This in turn can be traced back to the London-based Huguenot Peter Anthony Motteux, the phrase is similar to a Latin translation of a variation of Heraclituss 10th fragment, The one is made up of all things, and all things issue from the one. In the poem text, color est e pluribus unus describes the blending of colors into one, st Augustine used the non-truncated variant of the phrase, ex pluribus unum, in his Confessions. The first coins with E pluribus unum were dated 1786 and struck under the authorization of the State of New Jersey by Thomas Goadsby and Albion Cox in Rahway, New Jersey. The motto had no New Jersey linkage but was likely an available die that had created by Walter Mould the previous year for a failed federal coinage proposal. Walter Mould was also authorized by New Jersey to strike state coppers with this motto and did so beginning in early 1787 in Morristown, New Jersey. In March 1786, Seth Read petitioned the Massachusetts General Court, E pluribus unum, written in capital letters, is included on most U. S. currency, with some exceptions to the letter spacing. It is also embossed on the edge of the dollar coin, E pluribus unum is inscribed on the Great Seals scroll. The motto was added to silver coins in 1798. In 1834, it was dropped from most of the coins to mark the change in the standard fineness of the coins. In 1837, it was dropped from the coins, marking the era of the Revised Mint Code. An Act of February 12,1873 made the inscription a requirement of law upon the coins of the United States, after the Revolution, Rahway, New Jersey became the home of the first national mint to create a coin bearing the inscription E pluribus unum. In a quality control error in early 2007 the Philadelphia Mint issued some one-dollar coins without E pluribus unum on the rim, the 2009 and new 2010 penny features a new design on the back, which displays the phrase E Pluribus unum in larger letters than in previous years. The motto E pluribus unum is used by Portuguese multi-sport club Benfica and this motto has also been used by the Scoutspataljon, a professional infantry battalion of the Estonian Defence Forces, since 1918. A variant of the motto, unum e pluribus is used by the Borough of Wokingham in Berkshire, E Pluribus Unum is a march by the composer Fred Jewell, written in 1917 during World War I. In the film The Wizard of Oz, the wizard gives the Scarecrow a diploma from the society of E Pluribus Unum. In the Twilight Zone episode A Kind of a Stopwatch, a man receives a stopwatch that can stop time and is told, remember, a short story collection by Theodore Sturgeon is called E Pluribus Unicorn

12.
Stevens T. Mason
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Stevens Thomson Mason was an American politician who served as the 1st Governor of Michigan from 1835 to 1840. As territorial governor, Mason was instrumental in guiding Michigan to statehood, a member of the Democratic Party, he was elected as Michigans first state governor in 1835, where he would serve until 1840. Elected at 23 and taking office at 24, Mason was, Mason was born near Leesburg in Loudoun County, Virginia, into a politically powerful family. His great-grandfather, Thomson Mason was chief justice of the Virginia supreme court and brother of George Mason and his grandfather, Stevens Thomson Mason, was a U. S. His uncle, Armistead Thomson Mason, was also a U. S and his uncles by marriage, Benjamin Howard and William Taylor Barry, both served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and were U. S. Howard was Governor of Louisiana Territory, 1810–12 and Governor of Missouri Territory, senator from Kentucky, 1814–16 and then had a long career in a number of Kentucky government positions, and ultimately became Postmaster General, 1829–35. In 1812, Mason’s father, John Thomson Mason, left the Mason family stronghold in Virginia to attempt to make his own fortune in Lexington, in 1817, President James Monroe appointed the elder Mason United States marshal. John Mason was appointed Secretary of Michigan Territory and superintendent of Indian affairs in 1830 by President Andrew Jackson, young Stevens was more politically savvy than his father and helped to protect him from schemes launched by anti-Jackson forces. This gained him notice from the governor, Lewis Cass. In 1831, President Jackson sent his father on a mission to Mexico and named Stevens to replace his father as Secretary, at about the same time, Governor Cass became Jackson’s Secretary of War. Mason was influential in petitioning for Michigan statehood, when the first petition in 1832 was not acted upon, Mason commissioned a territorial census. When the census was completed in 1834, it determined that 86,000 people lived in the lower peninsula, a dispute over a strip of land, the Toledo Strip, claimed by both Michigan and Ohio led to the Toledo War. President Jackson appointed Benjamin Chew Howard of Baltimore, and Richard Rush of Philadelphia to serve on a commission to arbitrate the dispute, not wanting to alienate political support in Ohio, President Jackson removed Mason from office in 1835 and appointed John S. Horner as his replacement. Although replaced by Horner, Mason was still popular in Michigan, voters approved a constitution on 5 October 1835 and elected Mason as governor. However, the U. S. Congress refused to recognize Michigan as a state until the dispute with Ohio was resolved, a convention in September 1836 refused to go along with Mason, but Mason finally prevailed in a second convention in December 1836. On January 26,1837, Michigan was admitted to the Union, in 1835, Mason had initiated an ambitious internal improvements program, which included development of three railroads and two canals. Mason was re-elected in 1837, but the state’s economy soon began to suffer from the effects of the Panic of 1837, earlier in 1837, Mason had negotiated to fund the internal improvements program through the sale of $5,000,000 in bonds. This arrangement fell apart in 1837 and following bankruptcies by both the building the canal and the bank backing the loans, the state was left with over $2,000,000 in bad debt

13.
Steve Bieda
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Steven M. Bieda is a member of the Michigan Senate, representing the 9th District, which includes Macomb County. He is a member of the Democratic Party, Bieda was raised in Warren, Michigan, and attended Cousino High School. He received a B. A. in Public Affairs from Wayne State University, and later received a Master of Public Administration and he worked as Director of Labor Relations in the City of Warren, and as a Senior Policy Analyst for the Michigan House of Representatives. Bieda also designed the reverse of the United States Olympic Half Dollar issued in 1992, in 2002, Bieda was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives for the 25th District. He served until 2009, and was elected to the Michigan Senate in November 2010, Bieda serves as the Assistant Minority Leader of the Senate

14.
Mackinac Bridge
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The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of the U. S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the 26, 372-foot bridge is the worlds 19th-longest main span, the bridge connects the city of St. Ignace on the north end with the village of Mackinaw City on the south. Envisioned since the 1880s, the bridge was designed by the engineer David B. Steinman, the bridge opened on November 1,1957, connecting two peninsulas linked for decades by ferries. It remains the longest suspension bridge with two towers between anchorages in the Western Hemisphere, much longer anchorage-to-anchorage spans have been built in the Eastern Hemisphere, including the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan. But the long leadups to the anchorages on the Mackinac make its total length of 5 miles longer than the Akashi-Kaikyo. The length of the main span is 3,800 feet. It is also one of the worlds longest bridges overall, the Algonquian peoples who lived in the straits area prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century called this region Michilimackinac, which is widely understood to mean the Great Turtle. This is thought to refer to the shape of what is now called Mackinac Island and this interpretation of the word is debated by scholars. Trading posts at the Straits of Mackinac attracted peak populations during the trading season. As exploitation of the mineral and timber resources increased during the 19th century. Improved highways along the shores of the Lower Peninsula brought increased automobile traffic to the Straits region starting in the 1910s. The state of Michigan initiated an automobile service between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace in 1923, it eventually operated nine ferry boats that would carry as many as 9,000 vehicles per day. Traffic backups could stretch as long as 16 miles, after the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, local residents began to imagine that such a structure could span the straits. The idea of the bridge was discussed in the Michigan Legislature as early as the 1880s, at the time, the Straits of Mackinac area was becoming a popular tourist destination, especially following the creation of Mackinac National Park on Mackinac Island in 1876. This would advance commerce in the region and help lengthen the season of the hotel. Decades went by with no formal action, in 1920, the Michigan state highway commissioner advocated construction of a floating tunnel across the Straits. In 1923, the legislature ordered the State Highway Department to establish ferry service across the strait. More and more people used ferries to cross the straits each year, and as they did and it cannot continue to grow as it ought with clumsy and inadequate ferries for any portion of the year

15.
North American Vexillological Association
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The North American Vexillological Association is an American and Canadian membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith and others, the association is a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations, and is among the largest vexillological organizations. President, John M. Hartvigsen First Vice President, Luc Baronian, second Vice President, Ted McNabb Secretary, Lee Herold Treasurer, John S. Adcock, J. D. Editor, Raven, A Journal of Vexillology, Kenneth W. Reynolds, Ph. D. Editors, Flag Research Quarterly, Kenneth A. Hartvigsen, Ph. D. & Steven A. Knowlton, M. L. I. S Editor, NAVA News, the length of the top side of the blue triangle is the same as the width of the flag. The colors are taken from the flags of the two countries covered by the Association, Canada and the United States. Since 1967, the Association has held meetings across the United States and Canada for all those interested in flags to present and discuss research. Since 1977, it has marked each meeting with a distinctive flag, American City Flags, a book published by the Association

16.
U.S. state
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A U. S. state is a constituent political entity of the United States of America. There are 50 states, which are together in a union with each other. Each state holds administrative jurisdiction over a geographic territory. Due to the shared sovereignty between each state and the government, Americans are citizens of both the federal republic and of the state in which they reside. State citizenship and residency are flexible, and no government approval is required to move between states, except for persons covered by certain types of court orders. States range in population from just under 600,000 to over 39 million, four states use the term commonwealth rather than state in their full official names. States are divided into counties or county-equivalents, which may be assigned some local authority but are not sovereign. County or county-equivalent structure varies widely by state, State governments are allocated power by the people through their individual constitutions. All are grounded in principles, and each provides for a government. States possess a number of powers and rights under the United States Constitution, Constitution has been amended, and the interpretation and application of its provisions have changed. The general tendency has been toward centralization and incorporation, with the government playing a much larger role than it once did. There is a debate over states rights, which concerns the extent and nature of the states powers and sovereignty in relation to the federal government. States and their residents are represented in the federal Congress, a legislature consisting of the Senate. Each state is represented in the Senate by two senators, and is guaranteed at least one Representative in the House, members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives are distributed among the states in proportion to the most recent constitutionally mandated decennial census, the Constitution grants to Congress the authority to admit new states into the Union. Since the establishment of the United States in 1776, the number of states has expanded from the original 13 to 50, alaska and Hawaii are the most recent states admitted, both in 1959. The Constitution is silent on the question of states have the power to secede from the Union. Shortly after the Civil War, the U. S. Supreme Court, in Texas v. White, as a result, while the governments of the various states share many similar features, they often vary greatly with regard to form and substance

17.
United States territory
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United States territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters and all U. S. naval vessels. The United States asserts sovereign rights for exploring, exploiting, conserving and this extent of territory is all the area belonging to, and under the dominion of, the United States federal government for administrative and other purposes. The United States total territory includes a subset of political divisions, the United States territory includes any geography under the control of the United States federal government. Various regions, districts, and divisions are under the supervision of the United States federal government, the United States territory includes clearly defined geographical area and refers to an area of land, air, or sea under jurisdiction of United States federal governmental authority. The extent of territory is all the area belonging to, and under the dominion of, under Article IV of the U. S. Constitution, territory is subject to and belongs to the United States. This includes tracts of land or water not included within the limits of any State, Congress possesses power to set territorial governments within the boundaries of the United States. The power of Congress over such territory is exclusive and universal, congressional legislation is subject to no control, unless in the case of ceded territory. The U. S. Congress is granted the exclusive and universal power to set a United States territorys political divisions, all territory under the control of the federal government is considered part of the United States for purposes of law. From 1901–1905, the U. S. Supreme Court in a series of known as the Insular Cases held that the Constitution extended ex proprio vigore to the territories. However, the Court in these cases also established the doctrine of territorial incorporation, a Supreme Court ruling from 1945 stated that the term United States can have three different meanings, in different contexts, The term United States may be used in any one of several senses. It may be merely the name of a sovereign occupying the position analogous to that of sovereigns in the family of nations. It may designate the territory over which the sovereignty of the United States extends, or it may be the name of the states which are united by. The United States Department of the Interior is charged with managing federal affairs within U. S. territory, the Interior Department has a wide range of responsibilities. The contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Alaska are divided into administrative regions. These are called counties in 48 of the 50 states, and they are called boroughs in Alaska, a county can include a number of cities and towns, or just a portion of either type. These counties have varying degrees of political and legal significance, a township in the United States refers to a small geographic area. Territories are subdivided into legally administered tracts—e. g, geographic areas that are under the authority of a government. The District of Columbia and territories are under the authority of Congress

18.
Provinces and territories of Canada
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Canadas geography is divided into administrative divisions known as provinces and territories that are responsible for delivery of sub-national governance. Over its history, Canadas international borders have changed several times, the ten provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Several of the provinces were former British colonies, Quebec was originally a French colony, the three territories are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon, which govern the rest of the area of the former British North America. Together, the provinces and territories make up the worlds second-largest country by area, the powers flowing from the Constitution Act are divided between the federal government and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively. In modern Canadian constitutional theory, the provinces are considered to be co-sovereign divisions, the territories are not sovereign, but simply part of the federal realm, and have a commissioner who represents the federal government. Notes, There are three territories in Canada, unlike the provinces, the territories of Canada have no inherent sovereignty and have only those powers delegated to them by the federal government. They include all of mainland Canada north of latitude 60° north and west of Hudson Bay, the following table lists the territories in order of precedence. Prior to Confederation, Ontario and Quebec were united as the Province of Canada, over the following years, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island were added as provinces. The Hudsons Bay Company controlled large swathes of western Canada referred to as Ruperts Land and the North-Western Territory until 1870, subsequently, the area was re-organized into the province of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. The remaining Arctic islands were transferred by Britain to Canada in 1880,1898 saw the Yukon Territory, later renamed simply as Yukon, carved from the parts of the Northwest Territories surrounding the Klondike gold fields. On September 1,1905, a portion of the Northwest Territories south of the 60th parallel north became the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 1912, the boundaries of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba were expanded northward, Manitobas to the 60° parallel, Ontarios to Hudson Bay, in 1907, Newfoundland acquired dominion status. In the middle of the Great Depression in Canada with Newfoundland facing a period of economic crisis. In 2001, it was officially renamed Newfoundland and Labrador, in 1903, the Alaska Panhandle Dispute fixed British Columbias northwestern boundary. This was one of two provinces in Canadian history to have its size reduced. In 1999, Nunavut was created from the portion of the Northwest Territories. Yukon lies in the portion of The North, while Nunavut is in the east. All three territories combined are the most sparsely populated region in Canada, covering 3,921,739 km2 in land area and they are often referred to as a single region, The North, for organisational and economic purposes

19.
Flags of the U.S. states and territories
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The flags of the U. S. states, territories and federal district exhibit a variety of regional influences and local histories, as well as different styles and design principles. Nonetheless, the majority of the states share the same design pattern consisting of the state seal superimposed on a monochrome background. The most recent current state flag is that of Utah, while the most recent current territorial flag is that of the Northern Mariana Islands. Modern U. S. state flags date from the 1890s, most U. S. state flags were designed and adopted between 1893 and World War I. Dates in parentheses denote when the current flag was adopted by the states legislature and these are the current flags of the federal district and territories of the United States. Dates in parenthesis denote when the district or territorys current flag was adopted by its respective political body, the U. S. national flag is the official flag for all islands, atolls, and reefs composing the United States Minor Outlying Islands. However, unofficial flags are in use on five of these nine areas, Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island. Maine and Massachusetts have ensigns differing from the flag for use at sea

20.
Flag of Alabama
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The bars forming the cross shall be not less than six inches broad, and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side. – The cross of St. Patrick referred to in the law is a diagonal cross, because the bars must be at least six inches wide, small representations of the Alabama flag do not meet the legal definition. On January 11,1861, the Alabama Secession Convention passed a resolution designating an official flag, designed by several women from Montgomery, final touches were made by Francis Corra of that city. One side of the flag displayed the Goddess of Liberty holding a sword in her right hand. Above the gold star appears the text Alabama in all capital letters, in an arch above this figure were the words Independent Now and Forever. The reverse side of the flag had a plant with a coiled rattlesnake. The text Noli Me Tangere, was placed below the cotton plant and this flag was sent to the governors office on February 10,1861. Due to damage from weather, the flag was never flown again. Alabamas current flag was adopted in 1895, the legislation introduced by Representative John W. A. Sanford Jr. stipulates that he flag of the state of Alabama shall be a crimson cross of St. Andrew on a field of white. The bars forming the cross shall be not less than six inches broad, and must extend diagonally across the flag from side to side. Sanfords father, John W. A. Sanford, had commanded the 60th Alabama Infantry Regiment during the U. S. Civil War, the design of that regimental flag was a white saltire over a blue field with a circle of white stars surrounding the crossing. The regimental flag accompanied them through the end of the war and was surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, the saltire of Alabamas flag most closely resembles the saltire of the flag of Florida, which has its heritage in the Spanish Cross of Burgundy. Southern Alabama was originally part of Spanish Florida and subsequently West Florida, Alabamas flag is officially a St. Andrews cross as described in its legislation, and so is the Cross of Burgundy, representing the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified. It is sometimes believed that the saltire of the current flag of Alabama was designed to resemble the blue saltire of the Confederate Battle Flag. Many battle flags were square, and the flag of Alabama is sometimes depicted as square. The legislation that created the flag did not specify that the flag was to be square. The authors of a 1917 article in National Geographic expressed their opinion that because the Alabama flag was based on the Battle Flag, another remote, but possible inspiration was the flag carried by Co. The regiment was the only Alabama regiment in Ruckers Brigade, commanded by Col. Edmund Rucker of Tennessee, the flag of Ruckers brigade utilized a white background with a red saltire charged with 13 blue/green stars

21.
Flag of Alaska
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The flag of Alaska consists of eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and Polaris, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a bear, as depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate Polaris and determine true north, which varies considerably from a magnetic north. The design was created by Benny Benson of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest. More than 30 years before Alaska was to become a state, up to that time, Alaskans had flown only the U. S. flag since the territory was purchased from Russia in 1867. Bensons design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide in grades 7–12, most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded US$1,000, Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. The flag flown by the Companys ships and their shore establishments was Russias commercial flag, the new Company flag design of 1806 placed the Imperial eagle in the upper left quarter of Russias commercial flag. In order that the State symbol remain unobstructed and more visible the width of the stripe was enlarged to cover roughly one half of the flags width. The normal width proportions of Russias commercial flag were equal thirds, the Imperial eagle carried a scroll which dipped into the blue stripe, also for more visibility, which read, in abbreviated form Russian American Companys. The symbolism of the scroll beneath the Imperial eagle compliments the official version of the Companys name Under His Imperial Majestys Protection Russian-American Company, the flag flew over Alaska until October 18,1867, when all Russian-American Company holdings in Alaska were sold to the United States. The Alaska Legislature adopted Bensons design as the flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2,1927. The first flag made based on Bennys design was made of silk and appliquéd gold stars. It was retained as the flag upon statehood in 1959. The flags symbolism is described in the song, Alaskas Flag. Symbols of the State of Alaska Seal of the State of Alaska Starry Plough Catalog of the Eight Stars exhibit at the Alaska State Museum, in PDF format

22.
Flag of Arizona
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The flag of Arizona consists of 13 rays of red and weld-yellow on the top half, the colors of the flag of Spain, representing the 13 original states. The red and yellow also symbolize Arizonas picturesque sunsets, the copper star represents the copper mining industry in Arizona. The rest of the flag is colored blue, representing the Colorado River, during the rifle competition at Camp Perry, Ohio, the Arizona team was the only team without an emblem of any kind. Colonel Harris was chiefly responsible for the creation of the team flag that in 1917 became the Arizona State Flag. Blue and gold are the colors of Arizona, red and gold are the colors carried by Coronado’s Expedition of 1540 to the Seven Cities of Cibola. The blue is “liberty blue” identical to the color in the United States flag field of stars, since Arizona is a western state, the rays of the setting sun seemed appropriate. There are thirteen rays representing the original “thirteen colonies. ”The large copper star identifies Arizona as the largest producer of copper in the United States. While Colonel Harris is credited with the creation of the Rifle Team flag, W. R. Stewart of Mesa was working in conjunction with Colonel Charles W. Harris, who was the Arizona Adjutant General and head of the Arizona National Guard. Stewart, as President of the Mesa Rifle Team, felt compelled to design a flag for competition, stewarts wife sewed the first flag for competition from a sketch he had made on the back of an envelope. The Stewart/Harris version of the flags origin is due to Stewart dropping some copper dye and white material into boiling water. However, these early explorers never used the current Spanish flag, the flag was adopted on February 17,1917, by the 3rd Arizona Legislature. It was passed into law without the signature of Governor Thomas Campbell, the governor did not officially state his reasons for taking no action on the bill. To properly produce the flag, the height of the flag is two units high while the width is three units wide. The sun rays at the top are divided into 13 equal segments, starting with red, in the center of the flag, the copper star is one unit high, while the rest of the flag is covered by blue section measuring one unit high and three units wide. The colors of red and blue are the shade used on the flag of the United States. The specific colors of copper and gold have not been set down in law, the suggested flag size is four by six feet, with the star being two feet tall. Seal of Arizona List of Arizona state symbols Arizona flag history http, //www. mesaaz. gov/planning/RobsonHistoricDistrict. aspx

23.
Flag of Arkansas
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The Flag of Arkansas, also known as the Arkansas flag, consists of a red field charged with a large blue-bordered white lozenge. Twenty-nine five-pointed stars appear on the flag, twenty-five small white stars within the blue border, the inscription ARKANSAS appears in blue within the white lozenge, with one star above and three stars below. The star above and the two stars below point upwards, the inner star below points downwards. It was designed by Willie Hocker of Wabbaseka, a member of the Pine Bluff Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, around 1912, the Pine Bluff Chapter of the DAR wished to present a state flag for the commissioning of the battleship USS Arkansas. When it was discovered that Arkansas did not have a state flag, Hocker, a member of the Pine Bluff DAR chapter, won with a design that is similar to the current flag. She designed the flag with three stars in the middle of the white diamond and omitted ARKANSAS. At the request of the committee, chaired by Secretary of State Earle Hodges, Hocker added ARKANSAS and rearranged the stars to one on top. This flag was adopted by the legislature on February 26,1913, in 1923, the legislature added a fourth star, representing the Confederate States of America. This fourth star was placed so that there were two stars above the state name and two below, this was to include the Confederacy alongside Spain, France, and the United States. The 1924 design was confirmed as law in 1987 by Act 116, in 2011, Act 1205 was signed by Governor Beebe adding some more details to the state flag. In the terms of colors, the red and blue used on the flag is Old Glory Red. The Act also stated that flags purchased by the Secretary of State must be manufactured in the United States, the flags elements have a complex symbolism. According to the 1987 state law defining the flag, the diamond represents Arkansas status as the only diamond-bearing state in the Union, the number of white stars around the border of the diamond represents Arkansas position as the 25th state to join the union. The blue star above ARKANSAS represents the Confederate States of America, the design of the border around the white diamond evokes the saltire found on the Confederate battle flag. The three stars below ARKANSAS have three meanings, The three nations to which Arkansas has belonged The Louisiana Purchase, which brought Arkansas into the U. S. was signed in 1803. Arkansas was the state formed from the Louisiana Purchase. However, that part of the statute contains two inaccuracies, The three stars were in a row in Hockers original design, they were not arranged in a triangle until later. Once that happened, it was finally admitted January 26,1837, the law defining the flag also defines a text to be used in saluting the flag, I salute the Arkansas Flag with its diamond and stars

24.
Flag of California
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The Bear Flag is the official flag of the state of California. The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt and was known as the Bear Flag. The first official version of the Bear Flag was adopted by the California State Legislature, the 1911 statute stated, The bear flag is hereby selected and adopted as the state flag of California. In 1953, the design and specifications for the flag were standardized in a bill signed by Governor Earl Warren. He shall, periodically, compile the laws and regulations regarding the State Flag, copies of the compilation shall be printed and made available to the public at cost by the Department of General Services. When the flag is displayed vertically, it is rotated 90 degrees clockwise such that the bear and star face upward, the flag is also used as the state ensign. The modern state flag is white with a red strip along the bottom. There is a red star in the left corner and a grizzly bear facing left in the center. The size of the bear is 2/3 the size of the hoist width and has a ratio of 2 by 1, the grass plot has a ratio of 11 to 1. The five-point star is taken from the California Lone Star Flag of 1836, the bear on the current flag of California is claimed to have been modeled on the last Californian grizzly bear in captivity. The bear, named Monarch, was captured in 1889 by newspaper reporter Allen Kelley, the bear was subsequently moved to Woodwards Gardens in San Francisco, and then to the zoo at Golden Gate Park. After the bears death in 1911, it was mounted and preserved at the Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park, the 1953 law includes an official black and white rendering of the bear as well as the plot of grass and brown tufts. This drawing and other specifications that define the flags colors and dimensions are identified as 54-J-03. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags and ranked the flag of California 13th. The 1953 legislation defined the shades of the Californian flag with a total of five colors relative to the 9th edition of the Standard Color Card of America. It is one of only four US state flags that does not contain the color blue, Seal is used for the dark shading of the bear, the 12 darker tufts in the plot of grass, the border of the plot and the lettering CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC. Old Glory Red is used for the star, the bears tongue, irish Green is used for the grass plot. The bears claws are also accented with white, the left front and rear paws have four white claws while the right rear claw displays three

25.
Flag of Colorado
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The flag of the state of Colorado consists of three horizontal stripes of equal width, the top and bottom stripes are blue, and the middle stripe white. On top of these stripes sits a circular red C, filled with a golden disk. The blue is meant to represent the skies, the stands for the sunshine enjoyed by the state, the white represents the snowcapped mountains. The flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson in 1911 and adopted by the Colorado General Assembly on June 5 of the same year, however, the legislature did not specify the size of the C or the exact shade of blue or red. Thus, some flags were in different colors and had the C wholly within the center stripe. On February 28,1929, the General Assembly added to the description of the flag that the blue, on March 31,1964, the legislature further dictated the diameter of the gold disc to be equal to the center stripe. In a 2001 survey of 72 state, provincial, and territorial flags conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the Colorado state flag is also incorporated into the design of Colorados state highway markers. Colorado is the state to incorporate its entire, unaltered flag design into its State Route Marker

26.
Flag of Connecticut
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The flag of the state of Connecticut is a white baroque shield with three grapevines, each bearing three bunches of purple grapes on a field of azure blue. The banner below the shield reads Qui Transtulit Sustinet, Latin for He who transplanted still sustains), the flag dimensions are 5.5 feet in length and 4.33 feet in width. The Connecticut General Assembly approved the flag in 1897 after it was introduced by Governor Owen Vincent Coffin in 1895, the design comes from the seal of Saybrook Colony, designed by George Fenwick when it was established in 1639. That seal depicted 15 grapevines and a hand in the left corner with a scroll reading Sustinet qui transtulit. When Connecticut Colony bought Saybrook in 1644, the transferred to Connecticut Colony. On October 25,1711, the governor and legislature changed the seal and they reduced the number of grapevines from 15 to three, in order to represent the three oldest settlements and rearranged the wording and position of the motto. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, the survey ranked the Connecticut flag 50th out of 72. The flag is traditionally at half mast when the American flag is flown at half mast, according to 2007-R-0624, only the governor of Connecticut may decide to fly the state flag at half mast, though the right is a power of office and not a law. State of Connecticut Symbols of the state of Connecticut Great Seal of the State of Connecticut Coat of arms of Connecticut History of the Connecticut flag

27.
Flag of Delaware
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The flag of the state of Delaware consists of a buff-colored diamond on a field of colonial blue, with the coat of arms of the state of Delaware inside the diamond. Below the diamond, the date December 7,1787, declares the day on which Delaware became the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, the colors of the flag reflect the colors of the uniform of General George Washington. The coat of arms in the center of the flag was adopted on January 17,1777 and it depicts a shield of horizontal green, blue, and white stripes. On the stripes are a sheaf of wheat, an ear of corn, above the shield is a sailing ship. Supporting the shield are a farmer on the left and a soldier on the right, the state motto, below the shield, reads Liberty and Independence. These symbols are included on the seal of Delaware. The current flag was adopted on July 24,1913, during the American Civil War, regiments from Delaware flew a flag which was similar to the state coat of arms on a field of blue. The official state colors, colonial blue and buff, are designated by the Textile Color Card Association of the United States,2, 1/140565, dated November 18,1954, which is on file with the Delaware Public Archives, Dover, Delaware. State of Delaware Symbols of the state of Delaware Great Seal of the State of Delaware Wyatt, Delaware Delaware Flag,29 Del. C. 1953, §506,50 Del. Laws, c,288, §1,70 Del. Laws, c. 186, §1,72 Del. Laws, c,1953, §507,50 Del. Laws, c. Delaware Facts and Symbols - State Flag

28.
Flag of Florida
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The flag of Florida consists of a red saltire on a white background, with the state seal superimposed on the center. The design was approved by popular referendum November 6,1900, the flags current design has been in use since May 21,1985, after the state seal was graphically altered and officially sanctioned for use by state officials. Spain was a union and federation of kingdoms when Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida on April 2,1513. As with other Spanish territories, the Burgundian saltire was generally used in Florida to represent collective Spanish independence between 1513 and 1821, in 1763, Spain passed control of Florida to Great Britain via the Treaty of Paris. Great Britain used the original union flag with the diagonal stripes in Florida during this brief period. The British also divided the Florida territory into East Florida, with its capital at St. Augustine, Spain regained control of Florida in 1783. In 1785, King Charles III chose a new naval and battle flag for Spain, which was now a more centralized nation-state, and its territories. This flag, a tri-band of red-gold-red, was used along with the Burgundian saltire in the provinces of East and West Florida until 1821, between 1821 and 1861, Florida had no official flag. This flag was used when Floridian forces took control of U. S. forts. Col. William H. Chase was Commander of Floridian troops, later in the year the Florida Legislature passed a law authorizing Governor Perry to design an official flag. His design was the tri-band of the Confederacy but with the field extending all the way down. As part of the Confederacy, Florida used all three versions of the Confederate flag and the Bonnie Blue Flag, which was used as an unofficial flag of the Confederacy. The Bonnie Blue flag features a single five-point star centered in a blue background and it was used as the flag of the short-lived Republic of West Florida in 1810, which included parts of modern-day Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Between 1868 and 1900, the flag of Florida was simply the state seal on a white background, in a discrepancy, however, a later version of the state seal depicts a steamboat with a white flag that includes a red saltire, similar to Floridas current flag. In the late 1890s, Governor Francis P. Fleming, a nationalist, floridians approved the addition of St. Andrews Cross by popular referendum in 1900. The red saltire of the Cross of Burgundy represents the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified, the addition was made during a period of nostalgia for the Lost Cause around the time of the flags change

29.
Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)
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The current flag of the state of Georgia was adopted on May 8,2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, and a canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the states coat of arms in gold. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the states constitution, within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the states constitution. An additional motto, In God We Trust, is positioned underneath these elements acting as the states foundation, the ring of stars that encompass the states coat of arms symbolize Georgias status as one of the original Thirteen Colonies. The design principle is based on the first national flag of the Confederacy, the 1879 flag was introduced by Georgia state senator Herman H. Perry and was adopted to memorialize Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. Perry was a colonel in the Confederate army during the war. Over the following decades, the flag was changed by adding, at the time, opposition to changing the flag came from various sides, including from Confederate historical groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy. S. Pledge of Allegiance, which states that the U. S. was one nation, opponents to the flags change also said that there was nothing wrong with the 1920 flag and that people were content with it. Others opposed changing the flag out of the burden it would place on those who would have to purchase a new flag to replace the outdated one. Board of Education and pro-segregationist comments by then-Governor Marvin Griffin, such as The rest of the nation is looking to Georgia for the lead in segregation. Political pressure for a change in the state flag increased during the 1990s. In 1992, Governor Zell Miller announced his intention to get the battle flag element removed, the matter was dropped after the 1993 legislative session. Many Atlanta residents and some Georgia politicians refused to fly the 1956 flag, millers successor as governor, Roy Barnes, responded to the increasing calls for a new state flag, and in 2001 hurried a replacement through the Georgia General Assembly. Those flags are a thirteen-star U. S. flag of the Betsy Ross design, the first Georgia flag, the 1920–1956 Georgia flag, the state flag. In a 2001 survey on state and provincial flags in North America conducted by the North American Vexillological Association, the group stated that the flag violates all the principles of good flag design. After the 1956 state flag was replaced in 2001, the Georgia city of Trenton adopted a version as its official city flag. In 2002, Sonny Perdue was elected Governor of Georgia, partially on a platform of allowing Georgians to choose their own flag in a state referendum and he authorized the Georgia legislature to draft a new flag in 2003. Perdue signed the legislation into law on May 8,2003, the 2003 flag legislation also authorized a public referendum on which of the two most recent flags would be adopted as the flag of the state

30.
Flag of Hawaii
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The flag of the state of Hawaii is the official flag symbolizing Hawaii as a U. S. state. The same flag had previously been used by the kingdom, protectorate, republic. It is the only U. S. state flag to feature the flag of a country which is the Union flag of the United Kingdom. The canton of the flag of Hawaii contains the Union Flag of the United Kingdom, the field of the flag is composed of eight horizontal stripes, symbolizing the eight major islands. Other versions of the flag have only seven stripes, probably representing the islands with the exception of Kahoʻolawe or Niʻihau. The color of the stripes, from the top down, follows the sequence, white, red, blue, white, red, blue, white, the colors were standardized in 1843, although other combinations have been seen and are occasionally still used. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association placed Hawaiis flag 11th in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, there are various accounts of the earliest history of the flag of Hawaii. One relates how King Kamehameha I flew a British flag, probably a Red Ensign, subsequent visitors reported seeing the flag flying from places of honor. This explains why the flag of Hawaii was a deliberate hybrid of the two nations flags. In 1816, Kamehameha commissioned his own flag to avoid this conflict and it was probably designed by one of the commanders of the Royal Hawaiian Navy, former officers of the British Royal Navy, who advised Kamehameha, based on a form of the British naval flag. There is debate as to the designer, some credit Alexander Adams. It was very similar to the flag of the British East India Company in use about this time which had only red, Captain Adams used this flag for the first time on a Hawaiian trade mission to China in 1817. The original flag was designed to feature stripes alternating in the order red-white-blue, there may have been possibly different versions of the flag with different numbers of stripes and colors. The number of stripes also changed, originally, the flag was designed with seven or nine horizontal stripes. The latter arrangement was adopted and is used today, in 1990, Governor of Hawaii John Waihee proclaimed July 31 to be Ka Hae Hawaii Day, the Hawaiian Flag Day. It has been celebrated each year since then, the flag used by the governor of Hawaii is a red and blue bi-color. In the middle of the eight white stars appears the name of the state in all capital letters, during the time Hawaii was a United States territory, the letters in the middle of the flag were TH, which stood for Territory of Hawaii. List of Hawaii state symbols Seal of Hawaii Constitutional Provisions for the Display of Ka Hae Hawaii Hawaii at Flags of the World

31.
Flag and seal of Idaho
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The Seal of the Territory of Idaho was adopted in 1863, and redrawn several times before statehood in 1890. The state Great Seal was designed by Emma Edwards Green, the woman to design a state seal. The flag of the state of Idaho consists of the seal on a field of blue. The words “State of Idaho” appear in letters on a red. The seal depicts a miner and a woman representing equality, liberty, the symbols on the seal represent some of Idaho’s natural resources, mines, forests, farmland, and wildlife. The current seal contains the text Great Seal of the State of Idaho in the outer ring, the inner ring contains a banner with the Latin motto, Esto perpetua. A woman, signifying justice, and a man, dressed as a miner, the miner reminds us of the chief industry of the State at the time of statehood. Inside, the shield bears images symbolic of the State, the pine tree in the foreground refers to Idahos immense timber interests. Idaho has a law, which protects the elk and moose. The state flower, the wild Syringa or Mock Orange, grows at the womans feet, the river depicted in the shield is the Snake or Shoshone River. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of all 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state and U. S. territorial flags, Idaho finished in the bottom ten, finishing 64th out of the 72. Idaho Symbols of Idaho The Great Seal of the State of Idaho Facts About Idaho

32.
Flag and seal of Illinois
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The Great Seal of the State of Illinois is the official emblem of the state, and signifies the official nature of a document produced by the state of Illinois. The flag of the state of Illinois consists of the seal of Illinois on a white background, the present seal was adopted in 1869, the flag bearing the central elements of the seal was adopted in 1915, and the word Illinois was added to the flag in 1970. The current flag depicts the Great Seal of Illinois, which was designed in 1819. In the eagles beak there is a banner with the motto, State Sovereignty. The dates on the seal,1818 and 1868, represent the year Illinois became a state, although State Sovereignty comes first in the motto, State is at the bottom and Sovereignty is upside-down. The first Great Seal of the State of Illinois was adopted in 1819 by the first Illinois General Assembly, the first law authorizing the Great Seal required the Secretary of State of Illinois to procure and keep the seal. The first seal engraved was essentially a duplicate of the Great Seal of the United States and it was used until 1839, when it was recut. The seal designed in 1839 became the Second Great Seal, Illinois Secretary of State Sharon Tyndale spearheaded the drive to create a third state seal for Illinois. In 1867, he asked State Senator Allen C, however, the bill passed by the legislature on March 7,1867, kept the original wording. Despite declining his suggestion, the legislature nonetheless entrusted Tyndale with designing the new seal, tyndales seal features a bald eagle pitched on a rock carrying a shield in its talons and a banner with the state motto in its beak. Thirteen stars and thirteen stripes on the represent the original thirteen states of the Union. This basic design has survived through several modifications since it was first conceived. The Illinois Secretary of State is still the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Illinois, during her time as state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1912, Ella Park Lawrence began a campaign to have Illinois adopt a state flag. Thirty-five designs were submitted in response to this contest, the contest was judged by a panel chaired by Lewis Stevenson, Illinois Secretary of State. They selected the design of Lucy Derwent, the flag became the official state banner on July 6,1915, following its passage in the Illinois State House and Senate. Governor Edward F. Dunne did not sign the bill, in the 1960s, Chief Petty Officer Bruce McDaniel petitioned to have the name of the state added to the flag. He noted that many of the people he served with during the Vietnam War did not recognize the banner. Ogilvie signed the addition to the flag into law on September 17,1969, for Illinoiss first 100 years of statehood in 1918, Wallace Rice, who designed Chicagos flag, designed a centennial flag for the state

33.
Flag of Indiana
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The flag of Indiana was designed by Paul Hadley and officially adopted by the state of Indiana on May 31,1917. It was the states first official flag and has remained unchanged since then except for the creation of a statute to standardize the production of the flag, to commemorate the state’s 1916 centennial anniversary, the Indiana General Assembly issued a resolution to adopt a state flag. At the request of the General Assembly, a contest was sponsored by the Indiana Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution to design a flag to serve as the state banner. As an incentive to increase the number of submissions, the contest offered the winner a one hundred dollar cash prize, more than two hundred submissions were received and examined by the Society before a winner was selected. The entry created by Paul Hadley of Mooresville, Indiana, was chosen as the winner of the contest. On May 31,1917, the flag was chosen as the official banner. The General Assembly made only one change to Hadleys original design, they added the word Indiana, in a crescent shape, the state banner was later renamed the states flag in a new statute passed in 1955 that also standardized the dimensions of the flag. The flag consists of a torch that represents liberty and enlightenment. The nineteen stars represent Indianas place as the state to join the United States. The field of the flag shall be blue with nineteen stars, rays shall be shown radiating from the torch to the three stars on each side of the star in the upper center of the circle. Several other laws govern the use of the state flag, the flag is required to be flown by all state militias and the Indiana National Guard. It is to be on display at the Indiana Statehouse at all times, the flag must also be displayed at any agency that is funded in part or in full by the state government, including public schools, state universities, and state parks. In all other respects the flag should be treated with the same care, in late 2008, Tribune Media station WTTV in Indianapolis began to use the flags design as part of their stations logo until acquiring CBS affiliation in January 2015. A variation of the Indiana state flag was used as the Gotham flag in the 1989 movie Batman, the flag can be seen in the mayors office. List of Indiana state symbols Great Seal of the State of Indiana Indiana Historical Bureau

34.
Flag of Iowa
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The flag of the state of Iowa is a vertical tricolor of blue, white, and red, reflecting Iowas history as part of the French Louisiana Territory. The image of an eagle with a long ribbon reading Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain. The word Iowa is placed directly below it in red, serifed majuscules, the flag was adopted in 1921, it was first approved in May 1917, by the Iowa State Council for Defense. It was designed in 1917, by Knoxville, Iowa resident Mrs. Dixie Cornell Gebhardt, of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Iowa. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association placed Iowas flag 42nd in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, flag of Des Moines, Iowa List of Iowa state symbols Seal of Iowa Iowa State Symbols

35.
Flag of Kansas
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The flag of the state of Kansas was adopted in 1927. The elements of the flag include the state seal and a sunflower. This original design was modified in 1961 to add the name of the state at the bottom of the flag, the official flag of Kansas is represented by a dark-blue silk rectangle arranged horizontally with the state seal aligned in the center. Above the seal is a sunflower which sits over a bar of gold, below the seal is printed the name of the state KANSAS. The state seal centered on the flag tells the history of Kansas, Kansas state law provides that the flag is to be used on all occasions when the state is officially represented. The flag of Kansas was designed in 1925 by Hazel Avery and first used in a Fourth of July parade in Lincoln, officially adopted by the Kansas State Legislature in 1927 and modified in 1961. First flown at Fort Riley by Governor Benjamin S. Paulen in 1927 for the troops at Fort Riley, from 1925 to 1927, Kansas used a state banner instead of a flag. The Kansas state banner, which consisted of a large sunflower and it was given a unique design to avoid competition with the United States flag. However, after the banner was rejected for display in Washington, according to the North American Vexillological Association, the state banner exists today as an official alternative to the state flag. The organizations website features the banner – a lone sunflower on a blue field –, flags of the Governors of the U. S. States State of Kansas Symbols of the state of Kansas Great Seal of the State of Kansas Kansas State Flag

36.
Flag of Kentucky
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The flag of the Commonwealth of Kentucky was adopted on March 26,1918. In the early history of the state there were many flags representing various affiliations or countries that came from. A portion of the state was held by the French monarchy until the French, after the war, the land was ceded to Great Britain and the Union Jack flew over the commonwealth until the Revolutionary War. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, Kentucky as a Commonwealth of Virginia flew adopted the flag of Virginia, as the war progressed, Louisville and Lexington adopted the Betsy Ross flag. The rest of the state followed, after the war ended, the Flag of Virginia was restored for a short period of time. Once Kentucky became part of the Union in 1792, the state adopted the 15-star flag of the Union, the U. S. flag was kept as the unofficial state flag for many years that followed. During the American Civil War, the flag of the Confederate States as well as the flag of the Union flew over Kentucky with prominence varying on location, the flag was designed by Jesse Cox Burgess, an art teacher in Frankfort, the state capital. The flag was adopted by the Kentucky General Assembly on March 26,1918, the flag consists of the Commonwealths seal on a navy blue field, surrounded by the words Commonwealth of Kentucky above and sprigs of goldenrod, the state flower, below. The seal depicts a pioneer and a statesman embracing, however, the official explanation is that the men represent all frontiersmen and statesmen, rather than any specific persons. The state motto, United We Stand, Divided We Fall circles them, the motto comes from the lyrics of The Liberty Song, a patriotic song from the American Revolution. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 Canadian provincial, U. S. state, and U. S. territorial flags, Kentuckys flag was ranked 66th

37.
Flag of Louisiana
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The flag of Louisiana consists of a heraldic charge called a pelican in her piety, representing a mother pelican wounding her breast to feed her young from the blood. The mother pelicans head and outspread wings covering the three pelican chicks nestled below her form a stylized fleur-de-lis, another emblem of similar significance often depicted in Louisiana and this symbol, emblematic of Christian charity, is also found on the state seal. On the flag it is depicted above a ribbon with the motto, Union, Justice. The current flag was adopted in November 2010, a revision of the original design of 1912. During the 19th century it was traditional in Louisiana flags and the seal for the pelican in her piety to have three drops of blood on her chest. The issue was resolved in April 2006, when the Louisiana State Legislature passed a bill which requires three drops of blood to be depicted on the used in both the states flag and seal. The new state flag, featuring a new design, was unveiled during ceremonies of new state officials. In November 2010, the flag was revised again, featuring a more detailed pelican than the one, as well as removing the word. Prior to 1861, the state of Louisiana had no official flag, in February 1861, Louisiana officially adopted a flag with a single yellow star in a red canton, with thirteen red, white and blue stripes. This was used through the end of the American Civil War, on November 22,2010, a new version of the flag bearing an updated version of A Pelican In Her Piety was unveiled. List of Louisiana state symbols Seal of Louisiana Official website

38.
Flag of Maine
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The flag of the state of Maine features the state coat of arms on a blue field. In the center of the shield, a moose rests under a pine tree. A farmer and seaman represent the traditional reliance on agriculture and the sea by the state, the North Star represents the state motto, Dirigo. There are no official colors for the coat of arms, so variations in coloration can be seen in flags from different manufacturers, the blue field, however, is specified to be the same blue as in the flag of the United States. According to the description, the flag should have a fringe of yellow silk and should have a blue. These embellishments are very rarely observed, the North American Vexillological Association conducted a survey in 2001 that ranked Maines current flag as one of the worst in design. Amongst the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags, NAVA criticized the unoriginality of seal on blue bed-sheet design, which is currently used by almost half of the flags of U. S. states. Originally, the flag consisted of a green pine tree, symbol of New England in the center, with a blue North Star. The image to the right contains a reproduction of the 1901 Flag. The reproduction uses the same tree used in the Merchant Marine Flag of Maine. Also, the size of the tree, set to 1/3 the fly, the Maine legislature approved the current flag on February 23,1909. Maine is also one of two states with a separate ensign, which is rarely seen. It features symbols from the current flag and the one, with a white field. The green pine tree has the seamans anchor, and the words MAINE, the flag used by the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. Great Seal of the State of Maine Symbols of the state of Maine Maine at Flags of the World Merchant and Marine Flag of Maine at Flags of the World

39.
Flag of Maryland
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The official flag of the state of Maryland consists of the heraldic banner of George Calvert, Lord Baltimore. The flag was adopted by the Maryland General Assembly in 1904. The first Maryland flag design consisted of the Seal of Maryland on a blue background, the black and gold design on the flag is the coat of arms from the Calvert line. It was granted to George Calvert as a reward for his storming a fortification during a battle. The red and white design is the coat of arms of the Crossland line, the family of Lord Baltimores mother, since George Calverts mother was a heiress, he was entitled to use both coats of arms in his banner. It is one of only four U. S. state flags that does not contain the color blue. It is also the only US state flag to be based on English heraldry, although the flag of Washington. The heraldic blazon is, Quarterly, 1st and 4th, paly of six Or and Sable, a bend counterchanged, 2nd and 3rd, quarterly argent and gules, at first, only the gold and black Calvert arms were associated with Maryland, being reintroduced in 1854. The black and gold colors with the design of the Calvert family were used in the flags and devices. After the war, Marylanders who had fought on either side of the returned to their state in need of reconciliation. The present design, which both of the coats of arms used by George Calvert, began appearing. At first, the Crossland coat of arms was put in the upper-left corner, the flag in its present form was first flown on October 11,1880, in Baltimore, at a parade marking the 150th anniversary of the founding of Baltimore. However, it was not officially adopted as the flag until 1904. Section 7-202 of the General Provisions Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland provides, the Maryland Secretary of State publishes a Protocol for the Maryland State Flag which, among other things, specifies the colors of the flag,1.04. In 1945, the Maryland General Assembly made a cross bottony the official ornament for the top of any flagpole carrying the state flag. Some time before October 10,2007, Government House in Annapolis ceased to display the cross bottony at the top of the flag pole, all other state government buildings, including public schools, obey this guideline, but many private individuals and businesses do not. The Calvert and Crossland coats of arms, and the flag itself, have adapted for use in various ways across the state. Beginning on September 9,2008, the University of Maryland painted both end zones at Maryland Stadium with the two patterns

40.
Flag of Massachusetts
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A variant of the white flag with blue seal was carried by each of the Massachusetts volunteer regiments during the Civil War alongside the National Colors. An exception were the two Irish regiments, each of which was permitted to carry a green flag with a harp symbol. The state currently has three flags, a state flag, a naval and maritime flag, and a governors flag. The flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts displays, on sides, the state coat of arms centered on a white field. The shield depicts an Algonquian Native American with bow and arrow, the arm itself is the Goliad symbol common in early Texas flags and signifying the philosophy that those represented would rather lose their right arm than live under tyranny. A white star with five points appears next to the figures head, a blue ribbon surrounds the shield, bearing the state motto Ense Petit Placidam, Sub Libertate Quietem. Above the shield is the military crest, the bent arm holding a broadsword aloft. The sword has its blade up, to remind that it was through the American Revolution that liberty was won, the state flag was officially adopted in 1901, but had been used unofficially since the American Revolutionary War as the ensign of the Massachusetts State Navy. In 1971, the pine tree was replaced by the current design. In April 1776, the Massachusetts Navy adopted, as its flag, a white field charged with a pine tree. In 1971 the motto was removed, and the flag was designated the naval, Massachusetts is one of only two states with its own naval ensign — the other is Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820. Flags of the Governors of the U. S

41.
Flag of Minnesota
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The flag of the state of Minnesota consists of a medium blue field charged with the state seal. The current flag was adopted in 1957 and the seal on the flag was modified in 1983. The 1893 flag, designed by the Amelia Hyde Center of Minneapolis, was white on one side, in the center was the state seal wreathed with white moccasin flowers, on a blue field. A red ribbon in the bore a motto, LÉtoile du Nord. The years 1819,1858, and 1893 appeared in gold around the state seal, the flag was adopted on April 4,1893. The blue sits underneath the people which represents how the power is greater than any one man. This made the flag less expensive to manufacture and also more durable in high winds. This opportunity was used to correct an error of the used on the seal, instead of a Pink and White Ladys Slipper. The law creating the 1957 state flag is located in Chapter 1 of the Official State Statutes, the chapter covers state symbols, sovereignty and other general issues. The location of the flag in the statutes is Section 1.141, the statute also requires the Secretary of State to keep a photograph of the official state flag and samples so they can be used by the public to make copies. In Minnesota, desecration of the flag is a misdemeanor offense under State Statute 609.40. In 2001, the Minnesota flag was chosen as one of the ten worst flag designs in a poll conducted by the North American Vexillogical Association

42.
Flag of Mississippi
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The flag of the state of Mississippi was first adopted by the U. S. state of Mississippi in April 1894, replacing the flag that had been adopted in 1861. The flag was subsequently repealed in 1906 but remained in de facto use, when a referendum failed for a new design in April 2001, the state legislature voted to readopt the historic design that same month. Since Georgia adopted a new flag in 2001, the Mississippi flag is the only U. S. state flag to include the Confederate battle flags saltire. The statute is part of the set of statutes that governs the curriculum of the states public schools. Section 37-13-7 provides, The pledge of allegiance to the Mississippi flag shall be taught in the schools of this state. Prior to 1861 Mississippi, like most U. S. states, had no state flag. Later that night residents of Jackson paraded through the streets under the banner, harry McCarthy, a singer and playwright who observed the parade, was inspired to write The Bonnie Blue Flag, which, after Dixie, was the most popular song in the Confederacy. The first official flag of Mississippi was known as the Magnolia Flag and it was the official flag of the state from 1861 until 1865. It remained in use as a flag until 1894, when the current state flag was first adopted. On January 26 the delegates to the Secession Convention approved the report of a committee that had been appointed to design a coat of arms. Due to time constraints and the pressure to raise “means for the defense of the state, ” the delegates neglected to adopt the flag officially in January but did so when they reassembled in March. The Magnolia Flag was not widely used or displayed during the Civil War, the Magnolia Flag remained the official state flag of Mississippi until 1865. Among those repealed was the ordinance adopting a coat of arms, in 1906 Mississippi adopted a revised legal code that repealed all general laws that were not reenacted by the legislature or brought forward in the new code. The 1906 legal code did not bring forward the law created an official state flag. Because of this oversight, likely inadvertent, the state of Mississippi did not have a state flag from 1906-2001. Nonetheless, the 1894 flag continued to be used as the de facto state flag until it was readopted by the state legislature on April 17,2001. There had been widespread protests by some African-American and other rights groups about adopting the flag with the Confederate emblem. The Mississippi Code of 1972, in Title 3, Chapter 3, describes the flag as follows, in 2000 the Supreme Court of Mississippi ruled that the state legislature in 1906 had repealed the adoption of the state flag in 1894

43.
Flag of Missouri
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The permanency, vigilance, and justice of the state. The three colors also highlight the French influence on the state in its early years, the flag was made the official flag of the state on March 22,1913, when then governor Elliot Woolfolk Major signed a bill making it official. The Missourian state flag was designed and stitched in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, by Marie Elizabeth Watkins Oliver and she wrote each states secretary of state for information about how their states flags had been designed and officially adopted. Her original design incorporated Missouris coat of arms and was rendered as a painted paper flag by her friend Mary Kochitzky. The flag was brought to the Missouri State Capitol in 1908 and bills to adopt the flag as the flag of Missouri were introduced by Senator Arthur L. Oliver, her nephew. Both bills failed to pass in the House, a competing flag design, by Dr. G. H. Holcomb and referred to as the Holcomb flag, was opposed due to its resemblance to the Flag of the United States, olivers original paper flag was destroyed when the Missouri State Capitol burned in 1911. MacFarland, Oliver sewed a second out of silk. Her design was adopted on March 22,1913 when governor Elliot Woolfolk Major signed the Oliver Flag Bill, the flag design remains unchanged to this day. The silk flag was kept by Marie Oliver until 1961 when her son Allen gave it to the State of Missouri, the flag was displayed until it began to deteriorate and was put into storage. In 1988, Secretary of State Roy D, blunt issued a challenge to elementary students to raise money to restore the flag. The campaign was successful and the flag has been displayed in the James C. Kirkpatrick State Information Center in Jefferson City ever since. The Oliver-Leming House, also known as the Home of the Missouri State Flag, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, the flag is a tricolor consisting of three horizontal stripes of red, white and blue. These represent valor, purity, vigilance, and justice, the colors also reflect the states historic status as part of the French Louisiana. In the center stripe is the Seal of Missouri, circled by a blue band containing 24 stars. The flag is described in Section 010.020 of Missouris Revised Statutes, in 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial and Canadian provincial flags. The Missouri flag ranked in the bottom 25, 48th out of the 72, the Great Seal of the State of Missouri, which dominates the flag has many special meanings of its own. Robert Wells, who was a lawyer, state legislator and a judge, the seal shows, by its helmet and buckled belt, that although Missouri is a strong state, it wants to be free to handle its own problems

44.
Flag of Montana
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The flag of the state of Montana consists of the image of the Montanan state seal centered on a blue field. Within the seal, a plow, shovel, and pick rest in a field in front of the Great Falls of the Missouri River, the ribbon contains the state motto, Oro y plata. The current flag was adopted in 1905, and the word Montana above the seal was added in 1981, in 1985, the flag was again modified to specify the font used in Montana, Helvetica Bold. Before it was adopted as a flag, it was used by Montana troops deploying for the Spanish/American War. Georgias flag was named the worst, but has since been changed, NAVA stated that about half of U. S. states used blue fields making them difficult to distinguish and the survey ranked flags with words and complex seals the lowest. State of Montana Symbols of the state of Montana Great Seal of the State of Montana Symbols of Montana

45.
Flag of Nebraska
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The flag of the state of Nebraska is a blue rectangular cloth charged with the Nebraskan state seal. The current design was adopted in 1925, although a design in 1921 from an architect based in the U. S. state of New York was rejected by the Nebraska state government. The official designation of the design as the flag occurred in 1963. The Nebraskan flag was rated in a survey by the North American Vexillological Association as the second-worst of 72 U. S. the worst-ranked flag, the flag of Georgia at the time, was temporary and has since been changed. In 2002, the Nebraska Legislatures Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee discussed a bill that would have created a commission that would suggest new flag designs to the Legislature. In 2017, State Senator Burke Harr proposed a task force charged with redesigning the flag, Harr wished for the redesign to come through by the States 150th anniversary. The State Senate committee declined to take action, list of Nebraska state symbols Seal of Nebraska Nebraska Secretary of State, History of the Nebraska State Flag

46.
Flag of Nevada
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The flag of the U. S. state of Nevada consists of a cobalt blue field with a variant of the states emblem in the upper left hand corner. The emblem contains a star, below which appears the states name. Above the star is a scroll with the words Battle Born. Below the star and state name are two sprays of green sagebrush with yellow flowers, the first flag of Nevada was created by Governor John Sparks and Col. Harry Day in 1905. It was based strongly on Nevadas natural resources of gold and silver, the blue of the flag was based directly on the color of the flag of the United States. The current flag had its origin in a design contest announced in 1926, a compromise was reached, and in 1929 Governor Fred B. Balzar signed into law a bill adopting the new flag, in 1989, however, a legislative researcher discovered that the bill as sent to and signed by the Governor did not accurately reflect the 1929 legislative agreement. Thus Nevada was spelt from the N at the top, radiating clockwise E, V, A, D, A, a law enacted in 1991 directed that the word Nevada appear below the star and above the sagebrush sprays, thus producing the current design. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, nAVAs members ranked Nevadas flag 55th out of the 72. Flags of governors of the U. S. states State of Nevada Symbols of the state of Nevada Great Seal of the State of Nevada Nevada State Archivists account of the history of the flag

47.
Flag and seal of New Hampshire
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The state of New Hampshire has held two seals since it declared its independence from Great Britain on January 5,1776. While both seals have been retained, most people are familiar with the Great Seal due to its corporate use. New Hampshires state seal depicts the frigate USS Raleigh and is surrounded by a wreath with nine stars. The Raleigh is one of the first 13 warships sponsored by the Continental Congress for a new American navy, built in 1776, the seal is surrounded by a laurel wreath. The wreath is an ancient symbol of fame, honor, the nine stars within the wreath show that New Hampshire was the ninth state to join the Union. Over the years, various items for shipment were also shown on the dock in the seal. In 1919, New Hampshire Historical Society Director Otis G. Hammond, on the order of the Governor and Executive Council of New Hampshire, wrote a history of the state seal and flag. In 1931, after Governor John G. Winant began his second term, the General Court approved the committees recommendations, later enacting a law codifying the official design of the state seal. The 1931 State Seal law placed the frigate Raleigh as the centerpiece of the new seal, the Raleigh was built in Portsmouth in 1776, as one of the first 13 warships sponsored by the Continental Congress for a new American navy. The law declared the seal to be 2 inches in diameter bearing the new inscription, SEAL • OF • THE • STATE • OF • NEW HAMPSHIRE, the law also declared that only a granite boulder could be shown in the foreground. The flag of the state of New Hampshire consists of the state centered on a blue background. On July 1,1774, the First Provincial Congress met for the first time in Exeter, the fish and pine represented the main trade of the colony and the five arrows represented each of the five counties. The seal bore the inscription, COLONY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE * VIS UNITA FORTIOR, the motto was meant to unify the counties and was never officially proclaimed, but was used during the American Revolution until 1784. While no official document prescribing the seal has been located, the first record of the seal is found on commissions issued to officers by the Provincial Congress dated September 1,1775. The last known use of the seal was on an act of the General Assembly on July 5,1776 and it is believed that the die used to affix the seal was designed during the summer of 1776. The first state seal was officially prescribed in an act passed September 12,1776, the seal is still used by some members of the General Court, though there is no current statute governing its design or use. The size of the seal was increased to 1¾ inches, and comprised a pine tree, the design reflected the states then two major economic resources, and the arrows symbolized the strength of unity among the then five counties. The seal bears the inscription, SIGILL, REI - PUB, NEOHANTONI, State of New Hampshire Category, Symbols of New Hampshire New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated 3,9 State Seal New Hampshire Almanac - State Seal Anderson, Leon

48.
Flag and coat of arms of New Jersey
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The coat of arms of the state of New Jersey includes, A shield with three plows, representative of New Jerseys agricultural tradition. A horses head as the crest of the helmet, the female figures Liberty and Ceres, representative of the states motto. Liberty is holding a staff supporting a liberty cap, Ceres is holding an overflowing cornucopia, the streamer at the foot of the emblem contains the State Motto of New Jersey, Liberty and Prosperity, and the year of statehood,1776. It was originally designed by Pierre Eugene du Simitiere in 1777 and was modified slightly in 1928, the seal is the central motif in the flag of New Jersey and the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey. The two Goddesses represent the motto, Liberty and Prosperity. She is holding a staff with a liberty cap on it, the goddess on the right is Ceres, goddess of agriculture. She is holding a cornucopia with prosperity written below her, buff-colored facings had until then been reserved only for his own uniform and those of other Continental generals and their aides. Many of which show the underskirt in blue and not argent. The flag of the state of New Jersey includes the coat of arms of the state on a buff-colored background, in a 1965 law, the specific color shades of Jersey blue and buff were defined by the state. Using the Cable color system developed by The Color Association of the United States,70087, buff was defined as Cable No.65015. In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U. S. state, U. S. territorial, the survey ranked the flag of New Jersey 46 out of the 72

The Cross of Burgundy flag (which is shown here with yellow background, flag of the Spanish Empire during the reign of Philip II of Spain (1556-1598)) served as the flag of the Spanish viceroys in the New World. New Mexico's flag uses similar colors.

A reconstruction of New Mexico's historical state flag, unofficially in use from 1915 to 1925